Explore the San Bernardino Mountains!

January 12, 2019

Just outside of Los Angeles are the San Bernardino Mountains! Our home. Come visit our favorite places for fresh air and some fiber time!

Camp Seely & Heart Rock Waterfall Hike

Pretend like you're arriving at Camp Walden for Girls! This is the film location for some camp scenes in Disney's remake of The Parent Trap! Tours of the camp are by appointment only, but no matter the season you can wander the perimeter and get nice views of the lodge and grounds. There's a beautiful 1.3 mile long loop hike called Heart Rock Hike that takes you behind the camp and along the creek up to a 15 foot waterfall. The hike is dog friendly and great place to wander. A perfect place to work on your Walden Campside Shawl.

Photos from movie The Parent Trap

Lake Gregory

The Water Lantern Festival in June is a special event that lights up the lake. This was also where some lake scenes for The Parent Trap remake were filmed. Dog friendly!

Photo: Water Lantern Festival

Switzer Park

On a clear day you can see all the way to the Pacific Ocean! Take in the grand sweeping views. Enjoy some food in the shaded picnic area, or try a number of hiking trails. Switzer Falls is one of these popular hikes- about 3 miles in total that's mostly shaded and takes you to a little swimming hole with a 14 foot waterfall that's active in the Spring. Dog friendly!

Heaps Peak Arboretum

One of the places we're working to conserve through our official partnership! Stop by for a nice and easy shaded stroll through the woods and flowers. Take the picturesque easy loop that's under a mile, or you can simply enjoy the displays and collections at the trailhead. Dog friendly! You can now pick up a few of our wares at their kiosk too.

Santa's Village/Sky Park

Unsurprisingly very popular for the Christmas holiday season! This charming throwback of a place has been around since the 1950's, and when it originally opened weeks before Disneyland traffic was backed up all the way down the mountain. In wintertime, enjoy ice skating, hot chocolates and treats, gift shopping and plenty of holiday kitsch. Warmer seasons they're open with mountain biking trails, zip lines and beautiful landscape to enjoy.

Children's Forest

After the 1970 Bear Fire, a large tract of this forest was replanted by children with trees still bearing their names. Today it proudly is the only visitor's center in the country run by youth! Take the three-quarter mile paved interpretive loop to stretch your legs under massive trees with some nice glimpses of nearby peaks. For the more adventurous this spot is popular for rock climbers scaling boulders and cliffs.

Keller Peak

The oldest fire lookout in these mountains here offers some of the best views. Step in a ranger's shoes and climb up the lookout post- it's open to the public! If you choose to hike up to this peak, you'll have a nice variety of views, plenty of shade. Dog friendly!

Gold Fever Trail

Big Bear was once a hotbed of gold mining fever! Pick up a map & info at the Discover Center and take this trail by car for a self-guided driving tour (you'll want a sturdy car for the rough unpaved road). Stop off at the numerous marked sites like Two-gun Bill's Saloon and Hangman's tree. There are plenty of abandoned mines to check out along the way too!

Discovery Center- Big Bear

A great place to orient yourself! Pick up maps, enjoy the museum, displays, and gift shop. Ask rangers your questions and enjoy the easy outdoor nature trail just outside the building.

Lake Arrowhead

Access to the water here is difficult, since it's a private lake. Stop by Lake Arrowhead Village for some nice views and an easy bite to eat. The boat tour is highly recommended, and you'll get a lot of history and gossip about the rich and famous that call this lake their second home.

Green Valley Lake

A hidden little gem nestled in the forest between Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear. This lake is fully stocked with fish, and open to boating and swimming in the warmer months. A nice easy walk around the entire lake and a knitting session on a lakeside bench here is one of our favorite things.

Big Bear Lake

This is Southern California's largest recreational lake, and is named for the big beautiful grizzly bears that originally inhabited the area. The spot is yet another popular Hollywood filming location. The classic Gone with the Wind was filmed here, as was Heidi with Shirley Temple, WarGames with Matthew Broderick, Magnolia with Tom Cruise, and countless others. Most of the movies filmed at Cedar Lake also had scenes filmed here too.

Cedar Lake

You might feel like you've stepped into a familiar scene from a favorite movie. This spot has been used for scores of movies including... The Parent Trap (the original 1961 version), Kissin Cousins starring Elvis Presley, High Sierra with Humphrey Bogart, The Main Event with Barbra Streisand, Having a Wonderful Time with Ginger Rogers & Douglas Fairbanks, and dozens of old westerns- North to Alaska with John Wayne, Riders of the Whistling Pines with Gene Autry, Bonanza, and Daniel Boone. A gem is the Old Mill that was built for the 1936 film, Trail of the Lonesome Pine, starring Henry Fonda. Now the location of a picturesque camp retreat with colorful canoes, and lots of character throughout the grounds.

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

Get a taste of the trail popularized by the movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon. A portion of this trail goes through our own San Bernardino mountains. You can snap a picture with an iconic PCT sign off of Highway 18 near Baldwin Lake. In total this trail is 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, crosses 26 National Forests, 7 National Parks, and 4 National Monuments. To hike the entire thing, the average hiker takes 5 months from Spring to September, and over 95% of hikers go northbound. The Pacific Crest Trail represents perseverance- for the commitment it requires from its thru-hikers, and for the perseverance of those who worked across the many decades to complete it. This trail inspired our Pacific Crest Trail colorway.

Photo from movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon

"It's simply a track worn through the wilderness for hearty adventurers who can enjoy the experience and benefits of a friendly struggle with Mother Nature." -Clinton Clarke

Oak Glen Preserve & Apple Orchards

These 2,189 acres of historic foothills are conserved by the Wildlands Conservancy in a tireless effort to prevent the exploitation of private lands within our San Bernardino National Forest and promote the expansion of the wilderness. Their preserve includes the historic apple orchard run by the Rileys, Los Rios Rancho, where you can do your own apple picking in the fall, and enjoy tours year round. The conservancy directly runs the Montane Botanic Garden and the Children's Outdoor Discovery Center. One of our favorite places for walks and picnics!